The City of Laguna Beach Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) was approved by CalOES and FEMA then unanimously adopted by City Council on December 12, 2023.  This plan remains current for 5-years before it must be updated and submitted for approval to CalOES & FEMA again.

The LHMP helps create a safer community by allowing public safety officials, city staff, elected officials, and members of the public to better understand the threats from natural and human-caused hazards in our community. The LHMP has made specific recommended actions to proactively decrease these threats before disasters occur.

The Local Hazard Mitigation Plan in its entirety can be found here.

Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety Report - 2025 Update

On January 28, 2025, the City Council approved the re-establishment of the Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety Ad Hoc Committee. The committee was directed to return to the City Council with an updated action plan to address wildfire mitigation and fire safety within 90 days. During the 90-day timeframe, the committee met twice a month from January – April with key staff and external stakeholders including Laguna Beach County Water District, South Coast Water District, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric, and Emerald Bay Service District.

On May 6, 2025 the City Council approved in concept the 2025 Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety Report and directed staff to further refine cost estimates and identify potential funding sources. The Council also voted to continue the Wildfire Mitigation & Fire Safety Ad Hoc Committee to focus on funding strategies and implementation. Between May and September 2025, the Ad Hoc committee continued to meet with a special meeting held after the Rancho Fire that occurred on July 7, 2025 to include lessons learned. On September 23, 2025 the City Council approved the final Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety Report 2025 Update, which includes a total of 76 action items.

The report outlines key actions including expanding fuel modification zones, hardening infrastructure, improving evacuation planning, and enhancing public alert systems. It also emphasizes the importance of community preparedness, updated water systems, and undergrounding utilities to reduce fire risk. Developed in collaboration with regional agencies and informed by public feedback, the report incorporates lessons learned from recent wildfire events. These actions aim to strengthen the City’s overall wildfire resilience and protect lives, homes, infrastructure, and the environment.

Click here to view the final Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety Report 2025 Update.

2019 Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety Report 

The Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety Report was developed at the request of City Council in December 2018 to analyze the wildfire risk in our community and to identify possible actions to be taken to mitigate this risk.

The report is the product of six months of intense study and analysis which has led the Subcommittee to two conclusions: (1) it is not possible to reduce the risk of wildfire in the City to the point of insignificance, and (2) there are many tangible steps that we can take to make our community more resistant to wildfire and better able to respond in case disaster strikes and we need to alert and evacuate the City.

The report contains 47 possible actions to be taken to mitigate the risk of a wildfire occurring in the City and to minimize the impact should one occur. These possible actions fall into several primary categories: (1) emergency alert systems, (2) evacuation plans and improvements, (3) fuel modification zones, (4) public infrastructure improvements, and (5) undergrounding utilities. The possible steps are further categorized as short, medium and long-term for implementation.

The 2019 report can be found here.

The Evacuation Time Estimate/Wildfire Egress Study was born out of the 2019 Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety Report to better understand the evacuation times, impaired access concerns, and overall recommended actions to further inform the City’s emergency planning and decision making.  

As part of the Study, engineers from KLD conducted three visits to Laguna Beach, one to gather the roadway data, one to conduct a demographic survey of the residents, and one to examine the access impaired neighborhoods.  The demographic survey provided more accurate information on travel patterns, car ownership, and household size specific to Laguna Beach. 

The Study was presented to City Council in 2021 and serves as a planning resource document to guide emergency planning moving forward.

The Evacuation Time Estimate/Wildfire Egress Study can be found here.